Quote:
Originally Posted by JUREK
Jeff:
You hit the nail on the head for sure. Any consumer should read the yearly April issue of Consumers Reports before they buy. Read the repair records on the American cars. Look at the cars to avoid.Yes the American companies have come a long way but they still have a long way to catch up.
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Compare my experiences with two cars, one Japanese and one American. The American car was delivered to me with the hood sitting 2-3" lower than the cowl. When I complained, I was told,"Geez, they are made by human beings!" No offer to fix it. I had to go to the sale manager before someone would agree it needed to be fixed. Later that day I returned to pick up my car. Guess what I saw. They had bent the corners of the hood up to meet the cowl. I had to go back to the sales manager again to get approval to repair it correctly.
With the Japanese car, out of warranty, I took it in for routine maintenance. When I picked it up, the service manager asked to see me and asked if I could leave the car for a few days. He told me he noticed the nylon fabric inserts in my interior were degrading and the manufacturer was unhappy this was showing up in some of their cars. So they were replacing the upholstery at their expense with ones that did not have the nylon inserts. Two days later I got my car back with a brand new interior. Out of warranty.
The problem the American companies are having is that those who had bad experiences with their autos in the 70's and 80's and were treated like I was are going to be skeptical about their quality devotion. We remember the Pinto, the Vega, the K cars, and don't want to sink hard-earned money into similar junk. I remember years ago researching used cars in Consumer Reports and seeing the difference in reliability for foreign cars versus American cars 4-5 years after purchase. The difference was astounding. So they are going to have to address the perception of poorer quality before they can entice buyers of foreign brands back to their cars.